Quiet Investigations
by raziella
Summary: She pondered the changes she had seen in her younger brother these past few weeks. He had been... chipper. "Hn-", he let out as Kaito sucked down hard on a sweet spot below his ear. The paradox of a simple life as an innocent boy living in a lustful relationship with a criminal... there was nothing funny about that. ShinKai/KaiShin


A/N: Okay so new story, this was just a plot bunny that wouldn't leave me alone. It's like a combination of worried Ran and smexy ShinKai/KaiShin. Hope you'll all enjoy!

Published: 01-02-13

Word count: 3700

Warnings: boyxboy relationship

Rating: T, may change to M

* * *

The sun was slowly setting, it was already late afternoon. Conan was out. According the experience from the last couple of weeks, Ran didn't start dinner. It was futile with a drunkard for a father always being out drinking until later in the night, and now a small 10-year old boy running around after school, only bothering to show up as the dark set in and her hands were already wrung sore from worry.

She pondered the changes she had seen in her younger brother these past few weeks. He had been... chipper. It was not a word she would have used to describe the little boy, had you asked some month prior. As it was now, she couldn't deny the fact that his smiles had gotten brighter, more genuine.

He had always been a good kid, she wasn't trying to make him out to be gloomy or anything. It was just that he had this way of stopping and thinking. His eyebrows would crease on his forehead as he was thinking of something much too hard for someone so young. And he would be still. Unnaturally so. He could bend his head low, look like all the pain and sorrow of the world was pressing down on his shoulders, and he would mumble something in a low, serious tone when he didn't think she saw him. It was eerie how much he would remind her of Shinichi sometimes. Like the damn detective had taken residence in the small boy and every once in a while he would rear his head up and gasp for air, as if needing a breather, confirm his existence.

Then again she had always had a tendency to read too much of the supernatural into her life, and come back terrified. It was something the idiot mystery geek would snort at and tell her off by no humble means.

Her hand would fist up whenever she thought she caught a glance at her old friend in her protégée. How could she _still_ miss him? How could she still be so hung up on him? Every time he came to mind it would evoke such a strong reaction from her. It wasn't supposed to be this way! She resented the moisture she felt build in her eyes. She wasn't supposed to still have feelings for him, not after that last time.

Ever since that fateful...that horrible day at... she couldn't think about that, she would only break down in an embarrassing melt-down. He had come back for her, sure. Those first few months, he had popped up every now and then. Always only for a short while. Often completely unexpected. Sometimes not acting himself.

In fact, sometimes he hadn't been the real Shinichi. She could remember clearly with a furious scowl on her face when she had almost been tricked to believe the mystery nerd had gone moonlighting...under the moonlight, clad in a pristine white. The idiot thief had actually had the audacity to touch her butt! She grumbled in a confused mix of embarrassment and anger.

She could count the number of times he had come visit her these past three years on one hand. It wasn't encouraging. But she had always put her faith in their bond. The fact that they were childhood friends had somehow calmed her heart and she had trusted that that would grow, just as soon as he got back. Because they had always been the destined couple, had they not?

She found herself thinking back to before he went away. Back to when everything was as it should be. They had been friends, definitely, but had there been something else, something more? She didn't know, really. They walked to school together, two decimeters apart, looking ahead, talking, laughing. They had shared stuff. Though, as she recalled now, it had been the sneaky deductive type of sharing, with Shinichi managing to slip behind her defenses, poke around and find her problems. Very little effort had been required from her side as long as she didn't mind letting him know. From her point of view though, she was barely let inside enough for her to decipher his small facial expressions in the course of a perfectly normal day. She felt like a flapping dolphin trying to get a bird to talk. He would just smile reassuringly at her.

"Don't worry about it. Nandemonai kara. Turn that frown upside down."

She would stare at him dumbfounded for his avoiding her question. Back then of course, she had blushed and he would grin like a mad man, resting his head on his arms that he held behind his neck.

He rarely touched her. Just occasionally when he gave her something he would accidently graze her fingers, or when she cried and he awkwardly petted her back. His touches were always the same. A shiver would run up her back and she would shudder from the small needle of pleasure piercing her. She would smile at him then. And he would state she looked red in the face and wonder out loud if maybe she was sick.

She had thought him oblivious then. Thankfully she had looked to her lucky star because she wasn't ready to confess anything, but she had silently mocked his complete blindness to her feelings practically being served to him on a silver platter.

Now she wondered if maybe she had been the oblivious one, or maybe the naive one. Apart from the rumors, their friendship and her own fluttering heart, they were never any closer to being _something_ _more_ than the day she learned to walk.

With a morose smile she swallowed a lump in her throat. So she was in a one-sided love relationship with her best friend from childhood who had decided to dump her and leave her for the winds three years ago. He had even said to her, that last time, when every minute seemed precious and every second that she was allowed to take in his appearance, swallow him whole with her eyes, devour his pretty eyes and marvel at his ebony face felt like stolen moments; that was the time he denied her.

"Ran... it can't be like this anymore. You have to stop waiting for me. I don't even know if I'm coming back, let alone when. You need to let me go."

Her ears heard what he said but she didn't understand, it didn't reach her. They were meant for each other. She had waited so long, of course he was coming back to her. But he wasn't. She could see it in his distant gaze that he had already moved on. Left her for the winds to catch her.

So she had been rejected. By the one man she though she loved, she had been rejected. She could move on from that. She was strong. She was young, vital, beautiful, smart and strong. She was strong. Strong, strong, strong.

And yet her hands shook every time she looked for too long into Conan's crystal blue eyes, so much like _his_. Such intelligence hiding behind those ridiculously large spectacles. They were cousins, but it felt like they shared a soul. And silently, bitterly, she was jealous. Of a 10 years old boy.

Her head snapped up to the clock as she remembered her original pondering. Conan...

The time showed 5.15 PM. It was already this late and the little fellow currently occupying her worried mind had been gone for many hours after school was supposedly out. She wondered… what was going on with him lately?

She was aware he was growing up. The small innocent child she had found in Shinichi's house, who had worn broken glasses and been quivering told her his name. The boy who had followed her home, clutching her hand desperately, so scared. The boy who had nestled his way into her heart, ingrained in her bones and made a home in her soul. He was moving away from her. He wasn't telling her things.

The worst part was not knowing. She had discovered rashes on his throat at the beginning of this new schedule. At first he had tried covering it up with a scarf but had looked so ridiculous that when she had laughed and asked what the new fashion sense going on was all about he had pulled it off in a rage and run out from the room with stamping feet. Conan stamping his feet sent her into a new giggling fit and she had to clutch her stomach it hurt so much.

But then she had found him trying to cover the rashes with make-up she had stored in the bathroom cabinet. This had sent her into a worried frenzy. Silently she contemplated the occurrence of puberty, but wasn't he a little young? He was still so short, his voice high-pitched and his face so open.

As she got to know him she had started treating him like her own. Holding his hand. Ruffling his hair. Smelling his hands. Kissing his toes. He had become her little otooto, but she was starting to wonder if she had ever been his ane for real.

One afternoon she had sat him down by the kitchen table, looked him straight in the eye, quietly pleading with him to open up to once more.

"I know the world is a big place, Conan", she had said to him, trying not to sound like she was talking to a child it would appear she was. "I know it's growing bigger as you are. I know you're curious to discover all things about everything, it's just your nature." Her worried eyes had searched his. He was looking innocently back, smiling confusedly.

"But all things are not good. Some things must never be discovered because they hurt. Because they may change things that oughtn't to be changed. Some things are better left alone." His gaze turned a bit cold at her words. "Do you understand, Conan?" She stared at him hard, trying to make him see her worry, and by some miracle…

"I get it, Ran… -neechan."

He seemed to finally grasp what deep message she was trying to convey. Her deep love for him, and her worry.

"But I want you to continue exploring. Never give up on your dreams, okay? Just remember that you have a home here. The world can be rough at time. Some people may treat you b-badly. Some may do the unforgivable…" her voice shook as memories of the frightened boy from so long ago had come into her life. Scared and abandoned by the very people who were supposed to put him above all else.

Conan's gaze had changed from understanding to confusion.

"Wha-"

"I'll never leave you, Conan!" she exclaimed, interrupting his unasked question. "I'll always be here for you, so please, please trust me. Please trust me to take care of you."

She didn't know where this emotional avalanche was coming from. Maybe her own sorrow from her parents' divorce was kicking in. Maybe the abandonment of Shinichi was wrecking amok in her. Maybe she was just very tired. But unexplained or not, tears were threatening to well down her cheeks as the small boy who was slipping away sat before her looking like he couldn't decide if he wanted to run away from her or hug her.

She swallowed; decided she must get a grip on herself if she wanted the boy to have any kind of confidence for her at all. A hand whipped out to grasp the small child's, hold the smooth, slightly moist skin from the nervous boy.

"You would tell me if something happened, right? Conan, you trust me, don't you?"

He had stared at her unblinking for several seconds. A light sparkled in his eyes and she wondered. Was this what he had needed to hear? Was this what he had waited for to finally come forward with whatever had happened?

And a shadow fell over his face.

He looked down in the table. He blinked. He looked up. A bright smile covered his lips, a grin stretching across his face so wide it looked painful.

"Of course I do, Ran-neechan! Nandemonai kara. Turn that frown upside down."

And she had gasped as those words stroked a nerve. She felt a butterfly backflip in her stomach. Her mouth went completely dry. It wasn't possible that he would use those words, those _exact_ words.

A second ticked by. And another. A small sweat droplet sipped out from his skin, resting, clinging to his temple.

And then she smiled.

"Okay, Conan. As long as you know you can come to me with anything, I'm happy. Now go along and play."

He had looked confused for a moment, then grinned even more brightly he jumped from his seat and dashed out the door and disappeared into her otousan's room which they still shared.

As soon as the door slammed shut, her smile dropped from her face and she stared seriously at it. Something wasn't right. And she was convinced it had something to do with the suddenly late nights.

And so she had decided to investigate. Obviously she didn't know where he went all ways so the only natural place to start looking was by his school. To follow him and find out where he went, and with whom…

That was two days ago. She had spent the last two days sneaking outside his school as the clock chimed the finish of the day. She was slightly worried someone was going to recognize her and tell Conan about her ventures. He would most certainly ask her about it, seeing as he had specifically asked her not to come pick him up anymore since some months back.

She thought maybe she would just give the whole thing up, missing school lessons herself was a highly inappropriate of her, trying to set an example as she was.

And then doubt had flooded her mind, but just as quickly as she thought about giving this investigation up, something had churned in her stomach. This needed to be done. She needed to do this.

The only problem was, she couldn't find him.

Just as surely as the melody would ring out the end of the day, she would lock her gaze on the front door. Intently she would await the fastest children rushing out. She would smile at the way some would yell and scream from excitement over something only a child's innocence could muster.

And then she would hold her breath as the small group of detective boys, Conan's friends, would emerge. Genta-kun, Mitsuhiko-kun, Ayumi-chan and Ai-chan stepped outside looking as chipper as ever, talking loudly amongst one another. Even the shy Ai-chan would smile at the autumn sun hitting her pale face and she would look amused at something Ayumi-chan said as she pulled the other's girl's arm.

It took her a second to realize Conan was not with them.

When she did she began searching with her gaze across the school yard to see if maybe she had simply missed him. Every face was ransacked and discarded as the short boy's bespectacled eyes didn't emerge from the numerous masses of kids running around.

She had been forced to give up both times as eventually the yard turned deserted and still no Conan in sight.

She sighed, partly frustration, partly worry, as the boy had eluded her once again. Perhaps tomorrow she would try talking to one of the kids, or possibly his teacher Kobayashi-sensei.

* * *

In another part of Tokyo, some miles west of Beika-sho, on the very edge of the Ekoda part, there was a house. A two story family residence with a moderate garden, well cared for. Inside that house were currently two inhabitants; two teenage boys. In a room on the second floor, down the corridor to the right, on top of a bed lay what appeared to be one 19 year old and one 10 year old.

From the outside it might appear as if the 19 year old was doing nasty things to a poor underage little boy, but from the inside… from the inside it was two bright young adults, very much in love with each other, seeking comfort in the touch of the person whom they would sacrifice their own life for.

Their lips were locked, sucking, licking, seeking to discover the other. Shinichi was lying on his back, his arms intertwined in the messy locks of the other. He was panting as Kaito's lips travelled from his mouth to his jaw, nibbling and kissing his way down to his throat.

"Hn-", he let out as Kaito sucked down hard on a sweet spot below his ear.

His back was arching into the lean frame of the teenager who let his fingers travel over the smooth skin exposed from the nice shirt which had been ruthlessly been torn open. A delicate hand slid from his chest down to his navel where an index finger dipped down. Small tickling tingles shot out from the spot of contact and Shinichi breathed in sharply. The base of the hand touching him pressed down on his abdomen where his pants stretched across his skin. Just the hint of the close proximity to his private parts and that hand had Shinichi's head swimming and he could barely focus on the mouth doing deliriously things to neck.

"Maybe…" he tried but couldn't remember what he was supposed to be saying next.

He seemed to have caught the other's attention, however, and two indigo eyes raised up from their cozy spot by his shoulder to gaze into the deep blue. As nothing happened but the two staring at each other the older gained mirth to their hooded eyes, and a light chuckle escaped his open mouth.

"What, tantei-kun, cat caught your tongue?"

And just as he was about to answer something lofty, those full lips who had been previously occupied crashed down on his again and he found himself yet again gasping for air.

As his hand descended from the brown mess of a hair to Kaito's shoulder he felt the rough material of a school jacket and realized with some contempt that the other was sorely over-dressed.

"Off", he growled and tugged at his collar.

A poff of smoke erupted around them and Shinichi couldn't help but grin at the pure theatrics of his secret lover, but he was entirely content when his eyes came free from the clouded mist surrounding them and he could see the beautiful youth dressed down to his slacks.

His gaze traveled down from the triumphant face of one master thief. Down from his chin, to his toned chest. He was well trained, muscle playing across the lean skin. It was a flexible strength, built for moving. His eyes continued down to his stomach. If squinting one could make out the six large rectus abdominis tensing under the intent staring. A small string of light hair on his lower stomach hinting downwards to something dangerous.

He licked his lips and put out a hand to touch. One small finger made contact to the sensitive skin just above his waistline and Kaito hissed. Intrigued the smaller boy let the finger travel across the marble skin. He put up his other hand around Kaito's neck, twisted a foot around his thigh, made a twist and suddenly had the larger boy beneath him, between his legs. Sitting comfortable on his lower stomach, his finger continued their exploration of the other's skin. He listed intently to the small hitches in his breath, the shallow intake of air and the small outbursts of the used oxygen.

When he leaned down to place kisses on the spot his hand was uncovering, he could make out a small quivering in the muscle there. He suckled caringly, soothingly, placed a long, slow stroke of his tongue on his nipple. It contracted and knowing it was more sensitive now he let his teeth graze it, coaxingly, tauntingly.

A sudden heavy hand had him take in a surprised breath as it landed on his back, stroking up into his hair where it gripped him in earnest. He smiled.

And then, he caught sight of a small white scar on his chest. Strangely round with pointy circumference like a star, shooting out. He realized what it was and grit his teeth at the pure proximity to his heart. He forced down a lump in his throat and growled as the fury welled up in his chest. How dare they touch what was his?!

Kaito, who sensed his unease looking up through hazy eyes, trying to search him for what was wrong. Shinichi didn't pay him any mind and just ducked down and sucked on the spot with renewed fervor. He shall be damned if those bastards mark on his loved one was bigger than his own!

Between breaths he rasped out "We'll get them." Almost painfully he bit down on the smooth skin, too sleek to be natural. "They'll pay."

"Un-huh", agreed a shaky thief. He was slowly coming out from a foggy state as the worry for his own little detective (and a small amount of pain). He finally caught himself enough to place a hand to his cheek, bring his head up and lock gazes.

"We will. Definitely. But right in this second, you're here with me. Not anyone else."

And then he pressed him down into a deep kiss that made oceans roar and mountains cry. Shinichi swooned and rested heavily against the magician supporting his waist with one hand and his head with the other.

"Un", he managed to pronounce as the cloud in his head was somewhat dissipating. "I'm sorry."

"I know. I love you."

"I know."

There was silence for a while and Shinichi lay resting his head in the crook of Kaito's neck, listening to the heart beat of his boyfriend.

"Maybe next time we should get going on that investigation of the warehouse we talked about", said Shinichi, suddenly remembering what he had been about to say so long ago.

"Un-huh, next time", agreed Kaito and kissed the temple of his shrunken love.

* * *

Ane – big sister

Nandemonai kara – It's nothing

Neechan – suffix to older young girl or sister

Otooto – little brother

Otousan – father

Tantei-kun – detective, with a boy-suffix

Un – yeah


End file.
